Each year, the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) presents awards to recognize individuals, organizations, programs, and communities that have made significant contributions in support of the division’s efforts to enhance resources, services, and opportunities for our state’s older citizens. This year, nominations were accepted through April. A committee of DAAS staff independently reviewed the nominations and then met to discuss the nominations and selected the 2020 award recipients. Below is a description of each award and its recipient.
George L. Maddox Award
This award recognizes an individual or organization in the state that has excelled in creative programming for older adults.
This year’s recipient for the Maddox Award is the North Carolina Baptist Aging Ministry (NCBAM). This organization offers several programs for older adults, including one to address social isolation, the “Hope Line”, which provides aging adults with essential social support. The call line became invaluable during the pandemic. This deserving organization has embodied the expectations of the Maddox Award through their creativity and inclusion and by developing multiple programs to help meet the needs of older adults in the state.
The Maddox Award will be presented to Sandy Gregory, director of NCBAM, on Sept. 9 at the NCBAM conference room in Thomasville, during the biannual advisory team meeting.
This award is named for Dr. George L. Maddox, a noted gerontologist and former director of Duke University's Long-Term Care Resource Program. Maddox was a pioneer in the field of aging and received many prestigious recognitions and awards for his groundbreaking research on late life, his contributions to aging policy and practice, and his service to older adults.
Ernest Messer Award
This award recognizes a community in the state that has excelled in addressing the needs of its older citizens. This year’s recipient for the Messer Award is the Pitt County Council on Aging. In addition to maintaining services during the pandemic, this organization raised $1.5 million to expand its senior center building and help remove clients in need from the waitlist. This organization has demonstrated excellence and exemplified the intent of this award by doing far more than what is expected during a challenging time.
The Messer Award will be presented on Sept. 23 to Rich Zeck, Pitt County Council on Aging’s executive director, at the Pitt County Council on Aging.
This award is named for Ernest B. Messer, a champion for aging in the NC General Assembly and former assistant secretary for aging for the NC Department of Health and Human Services between 1981 and 1985.
Elizabeth Welch Award
This award recognizes an older adult who has effectively advocated for the needs of other older adults, as either a volunteer or employee. This year’s award recipient is Nancy Hall. Nancy has been volunteering throughout Forsyth County for more than 20 years and has had the opportunity to create many programs for aging adults, including programs that connect them to the arts. Nancy excels in everything she does, and this award recognizes her hard work as a volunteer.
The Elizabeth Welch Award is scheduled to be presented to Nancy Hall on Sept.17 at 9:00 a.m. during the monthly Forsyth County Aging Services Planning Committee meeting at Senior Services, 2895 Shorefair Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27105.
This award honors Dr. Elizabeth Welch, who served as chair of the psychology department at Salem College. She was often quoted to say we should not “retire” but “reinvest.” At age 89, she published her personal account of growing old and the challenges and gifts that age can bring. Her book “Learning to be 85” made her a popular speaker across the state. At the age of 92, she was a congressionally appointed delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Aging where she was the only delegate from North Carolina to have a resolution passed by the conferees. Welch believed in the power laid at the feet of baby boomers to bring about social justice for older adults, women, people of color, and other historically marginalized populations.
Congratulations to this 2020 award recipients!
DAAS will begin accepting nominations for the 2021 awards in December. For questions about the nomination process, contact Rebecca Freeman at 984-328-2497 (cell), 919-855-3421 (office), or Rebecca.freeman@dhhs.nc.gov.